


Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

by tahitianmangoes



Series: Drabbles, Shorts & Ficlets [3]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Campfire stories, Ficlet, Monsters, Writing Prompt, a little shippy if you look, myths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:08:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29263314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tahitianmangoes/pseuds/tahitianmangoes
Summary: The gang like to tell scary stories around the campfire at night.
Series: Drabbles, Shorts & Ficlets [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2193915
Kudos: 8





	Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> From a writing event I participated in. The prompt was [this](http://civilwarhorror.blogspot.com/2011/12/deja-vu-blogfest-thunderbird-photo-and.html)

The gang didn't know how it started but somehow, it had become a ritual that when the more strict members of the gang turned in for the night, they would sit around the campfire and tell scary stories.

"Have I ever told yous about the screeching spinster?" Sean asked, leaning in with that twinkle in his eye, "it was on of my Da's favourites-"  
"Not the Da again!" Arthur, Mary-Beth, Tilly, Lenny, Karen and Charles chorused in exasperation.  
Sean glowered and swigged his beer, "fine. One of yous tell a better story then. How about you, Sulky?" He said, gesturing at Charles across the fire.  
"I'll wash your mouth out with soap you little-" Arthur started but Charles reached over and laid a hand gently on Arthur's thigh.  
"It's fine, Arthur. Sure, I got a scary story."

Charles didn't speak loudly and that made the others all listen in all the more closely. The camp was always so quiet at this time of night, a juxtaposition to the rest of the day when all that could usually be heard was Miss Grimshaw nagging the girls, Reverend's drunken singing and Dutch's damn gramophone.

"When I was a boy, there was talk among my tribe of a monster that terrorised the plains."  
"A monster? How original," Sean muttered and Karen elbowed him in the ribs to silence him.

Charles ignored him and continued, "they said it was like a bird in the way that it had a wingspan dwarfed any bird any of the tribe's elders had ever seen. Some said it's wings were forty feet in length but that wasn't the worst of it... Some say they had seen these creatures circling the plains like vultures, watching and waiting for any unsuspecting folk out there. Those who got a real good glimpse of it said it had the body of a reptile - the head of an alligator!"

"What a load of pish!" Sean laughed.  
"Well it's better than your wailing widow," Tilly retorted.  
"Screeching spinster!" Sean corrected her quickly.  
"Whatever."

Charles continued still, unfazed, a hint of a smirk on his lips, "one day, some men from the tribe went hunting but only one returned. Covered in blood and whiter than snow. The creature had appeared in the sky, swooping down and killing the other hunters before they had time to even draw their bows! It ripped their bodies apart as easily as if they had been paper and ate them, leaving almost nothing behind!"

Mary-Beth squeaked and slipped her hand into Tilly's and even Arthur's bright blue eyes widened.

"The hunter managed to shoot it with his bow and killed the beast and brought it back to camp where it was displayed and its feathers were used for crafting. I used to have one myself, my mother gave it to me."

"Y-you saw this thing?" Lenny asked with a stammer.  
Charles shrugged. "They say there's more of them out there, preying on hunters out in the desert plains."  
There was a silence as everyone drank and looked into the fire before Mary-Beth announced she'd had enough for the night. Everyone began to drift away to their respective bedrolls until only Charles and Arthur were left.

"Was... Was that story real?" Arthur asked after a while.  
A wide grin spread across Charles's handsome face, "I don't know. You tell me."


End file.
